LADY LAKE, Fla. — A former Lady Lake police officer is under investigation for accusations of taking money with plans to sell prescription drugs illegally.
Investigators with the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office said a tip from an informant led detectives to look into Vincent Cruz.
The informant claimed Cruz offered to sell the person 20 hydrocodone pills for $100 and said Cruz talked about buying “bottles of Xanax” from an unidentified person.
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Detectives set up an undercover narcotics operation and the informant met with Cruz at a Wildwood gas station as investigators recorded the conversations between the two people.
The information report said Cruz was heard saying "he always takes his police uniform off and doesn't carry any identification when he buys the narcotics.”
The report said Cruz never actually brought the informant the pills but he did take the money for it, leading investigators to find that “Cruz did organize this narcotics transaction.”
The investigation has now been handed over to the State Attorney’s Office for the fifth judicial circuit for review.
A spokesperson for the State Attorney’s Office told Eyewitness News the investigation is ongoing and a decision has not been made yet on whether to file charges against Cruz.
The Lady Lake Police Department said the department is aware of the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office investigation but said Cruz was fired for a separate issue.
The Police Department said Cruz was fired for violating department policy during his probationary period. He started his job there in October 2018.
Eyewitness News obtained Cruz’s personnel file showing Cruz showed up late to work in November and in December.
Cruz was fired Jan. 7 for violating department policy, three days after the sting operation with the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office.
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